


Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall (All You Have to Do is Call)

by americanhoney913



Series: Three Goddesses and a Mortal [3]
Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: 4HW - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Mythology, F/F, Four Horsewomen, Four Seasons, Multi, Protective Goddesses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2020-07-09 19:21:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19893016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/americanhoney913/pseuds/americanhoney913
Summary: Like the seasons of the year, life changes frequently and drastically. You enjoy it or endure it as it comes and goes, as it ebbs and flows.-- Burgess Meredith---Love blooms across four seasons and Bayley learns what it means to settle in the hearts of goddesses.





	1. Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Fall: Something bad happens to Bayley and Becky will do anything for her, even kill.
> 
> Winter:???
> 
> Spring:???
> 
> Summer:???

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _It is my nature to be kind, gentle, and loving. But know this: when it comes to matters of protecting my family, my friends and my heart..._   
>  _Do not trifle with me, for I am also the most powerful and relentless creature you will ever know._   
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:  
> Gods and Goddesses:  
> Alexa- Eris  
> Lacey- Dionysus  
> Paige - Keres (violent death)
> 
> Three Fates run The Threads  
> (Atropos- Ruby  
> Clotho- Liv  
> Lachesis- Sarah)

Bayley shoves the last of her pants into the bottom drawer with a huff. She stands up and surveys her room. A new room, a new school year. She’s covered the walls in posters of her favorite wrestlers, bands, and some fanart. Her sloth stuffie rests against her pillow and her bed looks comfortable enough to jump into. 

She makes her way out into the common area of their apartment-style dorm and smiles at her roommates. 

Alexa, the tiny blonde she’s been roommates with since freshman year, is pure pandemonium and Lacey embodies the stereotypical wine mom. Her only babies are the wine bottles she nurses every night. 

The newest addition is Paige. Bayley doesn’t know much about Paige, besides being in classes with her in the early mornings, the woman looking like death until she’s had her coffee. And she’s a criminal justice major who seems to like violent crimes a little too much.

“Hey, guys,” Bayley greets them as she hugs each of them in turn. Lacey salutes her with a bottle of wine and goes back to drinking it. From what Bayley can see, it’s already half empty and there’s another one already in the recycling bin.

“Starting early?” she asks the blonde. 

“It’s always five o’clock somewhere, as you mortals say.”

Paige coughs and almost spits out her coffee. “Lacey,” she snarls under her breath, “shut… up.” Alexa giggles behind her hand, eyes flashing golden for a moment, as they sometimes do. Bayley catches it and wonders if maybe it was a trick of the light. 

Lacey says things like that when she’s had a few drinks and Bayley typically ignores it. But Paige’s reaction makes her pause. The dark-haired woman looks even paler than usual and she’s looking between Bayley and Lacey, who’s almost done with her second bottle now.

“You guys wanna go out and celebrate our senior year?” Alexa breaks the tension as she throws an arm over Bayley’s shoulder. Or, well, she tries to, but it ends up wacking her on the arm instead. The brunette chuckles. 

“I’m in.” She shoves her phone into her pocket and grabs her keys. “I’ll DD tonight?”

The others just nod.

Lacey grabs a fresh bottle of wine before she leaves while Alexa and Paige each grab their purses.

* * *

Bayley takes a sip of her drink and surveys the bar around her. _The Thread_ is more of a bar-club combo than Becky's bar, run by Liv, Ruby, and Sarah. Bayley doesn't know how they do it, but they manage to make this place almost as much of a safe space as Becky's bar is, although that's more of an Irish pub than anything else.

The music here pounds through her body and she snorts as she sees Alexa try to climb Paige like a tree. Her eyes shine with that same unnerving amber glow as they did earlier. Lacey’s sitting at the other end of the bar trying to sweet-talk the unamused bartender, Sarah, if Bayley remembers correctly, and she just knows the blonde's asking for more wine. How a skinny girl like Lacey can consume copious amounts of wine and not die or get drunk is beyond the brunette. She’s been rooming with the woman for two years now, Alexa for three, and it still shocks her when Lacey drinks so much wine and there’s no effect on her.

“Hey,” a voice says from beside her, “you new around here? Lookin’ for a little company?”

She turns to find some dude with a weird 80s mullet look and a scar trailing from his cheek down to his chin. One of those bulging ones that men think girls think are hot but Bayley just thinks they’re gross. Now, the tiny slivers of scars on Becky’s arms, or the long one that trails down Charlotte’s side that’s visible when she’s wearing a tank top or Sasha’s claw marks on her shoulders from Ny’s claws… Those are hot. Bayley can feel herself drool just thinking about the beautiful women. 

“No, and I’m fine,” she says as she turns back to her now empty drink. She might be DD, but that doesn’t mean she can’t have a little fun. And the bartender knows to put the tiniest amount in it anyway. “Hey, Ruby, can I get another one?”

The woman in question comes over, a permanent scowl on her face, and she leans against the bar. “What’s your poison this time?”

“Just another of the usual, then cut me off,” Bayley says as she hands Ruby her glass. She turns away to look at her friends, tries to find them, but she jumps slightly as a big hand holds out her drink. The guy’s smiling at her and Bayley, ever the trusting soul, takes it from him with a smile. “Thank.” 

Bayley takes a sip of her drink and he returns her smile with one of his own. Her nose wrinkes when she tastes a slightly sour-bitter tang that doesn’t usually accompany her drink.

“So, you go to the college around here?” the guy asks. She still doesn’t know his name, so she’s calling him Dude in her head. He throws an arm over her shoulder and she stiffens, but Dude seems to ignore her attempt to pull away.

“How’d you know?” Bayley responds. Her tongue feels heavy in her mouth and the world’s starting to blur around her. That sour-bitter combo’s getting stronger and, when she looks up, the man’s eyes are a sparkly blue, like the ocean. They’re not as pretty as Charlotte’s eyes, but it’s close enough that she can imagine it’s the right blonde.

“You’re wearing an OlympiaU shirt.” He gestures with his beer to her outfit.

“Oh, right.” She giggles and covers her mouth as she hiccups. “Silly me.” She stands up and stumbles a little. “Whoops. Sorry.”

“S‘alright,” he drawls.

“Hey, Hugger,” Ruby calls from behind the bar, “ya alright?”

“Fine,” Bayley responds with another giggle-hiccup. She leans against Dude, who gives her a warm smile. “Hey, Charlie, yer pretty.”

“Uh, I’m not Charlie,” he says, but his lips turn up into a smirk, “but you can call me whatever you like.”

“Okay, Charlie!”

Ruby narrows her eyes and Bayley watches as she grabs something from her belt. It’s a pair of scissors that are slightly glowing with a dim bar light. “I’m watching you, pretty boy,” she snarls. “Don’t tempt fate. Don't tempt me. I cut the strings around here.” Bayley giggles and clings to the newly-dubbed Charlie. 

He stands up and she follows him. “You wanna dance?” She nods and squeals as he pulls her onto the dance floor. They maneuver until they’re in a corner, near the side door. She feels light and floaty and giggly. She laughs as the man spins her around and presses her against him. She doesn’t feel like her feet touch the ground and she throws her head back, dances with abandon. Her tongue feels heavy in her mouth and it’s getting harder and harder to focus. Golden dots dance across her vision as Charlie dances them around and she can’t get a grasp on the world around her.

_ What’s happening to me? _

* * *

Becky grumbles as her phone begins to ring in the middle of the night. Charlotte whines and buries her face into her wife’s shoulder. The phone goes silent before it rings again, and yet again when Becky doesn't pick it up.

“Just get it before Sasha comes in and spears it again,” Charlotte mumbles into her skin. “Those phones are expensive.”

“Char, we’re gods. We don’  _ need _ phones.” She shuffles over on her elbows to the nightstand to reach it and Charlotte huffs as her head hits the bed when Becky moves. “They’re just more convenient than what we’ve ‘ad in the past. Humans’re amazing like that.”

“Whatever.” Charlotte turns her back on Becky. “Just come back to bed when you’re done with whoever’s on the phone. If it’s Paige, tell her to fuck off. If it’s Charon, tell them to fuck off. I need my beauty sleep and you’re the best cuddler.”

Becky chuckles as she slides out of bed with her phone still ringing. “I will. And yer beautiful even without sleep.”

Charlotte says nothing but throws up the middle finger, something both she and Sasha adopted from the humans. It makes Becky laugh, but she’ll stick with what she knows.

She moves to the chair in the corner of the room, pushes her dirty clothes on the floor, and sits down. The phone rings again and she checks the ID. It’s Bayley and Becky’s brow furrows when she sees its almost two in the morning. She knows the brunette just got into town yesterday and planned to go out with friends before First Days.

“Uh, hey, Bay-”

“Hades.” The voice on the other end isn’t Bayley. And Bayley doesn’t know who she truly is. “Hades, are you there?”

“Who is this?” Becky snarls into the phone. She hears the bed creak as Charlotte sits up and she can feel the temperature in the room start to rise. “Why the fuck do ya have Bayley’s phone?”

“It’s, um, it’s Kofi. I mean, Hermes.” Kofi chuckles. “You’re the last person she called. I couldn’t unlock her phone, but it would let me redial.”

“Okay, but that hasn’t answered my question.” Becky feels her body begin to burn and she feels like a volcano, slowly building up pressure at her core. “Where’s… Bayley…?”

“Oh, she’s with me, but you might wanna come get her,” Kofi says, hesitant. “I had to fend off some guy who was getting too close. She seemed to be saying no, but her voice was so slurred.”

The volcano that is Becky trembles, but doesn’t explode, like a warning. Her hair lights up softly, fiery but without burning, although she can feel her phone about to melt in her hand. Her whole body shakes, vibrates with the energy her body can hardly contain.

She drops her phone and stands up. “Charlotte, get your keys.”

“Becks, what’s going-?”

“Don’t ask questions, just get your keys.” She scoops the phone up. “Stay with her, Kofi. And you better get me that guy’s name. Someone’s going to hell tonight and it ain’t gonna be me.” She hangs up the phone and throws it at the wall. “Char, find Bayley through your network. She’s hurt and probably drugged and in danger. Oh, and tell Sasha to bring me my favorite sword. I know she’s been using it.”

* * *

They arrive at the back alley behind the bar run by the three Fates. She hopes the women are on their side tonight and Ruby hasn't yet cut Bayley's string. That might sound dramatic, but Becky's praying to her mother and all the Titans she can remember.

Sasha doesn’t even wait for Charlotte to put the car into park before she grabs her spear and shield and races out the door. The volcano inside Becky has yet to fully explode, although there was that mini one back at their house. She gets out of the car after Sasha and winces when she turns back and notices a few burn marks on the back of the chair. She meets Charlotte’s eyes, her Queen exuding calm and giving her a smile softer than all the flowers in the world, and the blonde nods at her, tilts her chin in the direction where Sasha disappeared.

Becky nods and grabs a golden pen, clicks the top, and a sword explodes from it. She beams and clicks it again, retracting the pen. “Apollo, eat yer heart out,” Becky says as she slams the door shut and follows Sasha, sword clicked and lit on fire, dripping magma.

Becky finds Sasha standing in front of Kofi, who’s holding his caduceus in hand, white-knuckle grip, and the two snakes hiss a warning at the approaching people. Sasha’s standing in front of him, spear raised to heart level.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Becky says as she puts her hand on Sasha’s arm. “He’s the one who called me.” She pushes the spear down and goes up to Kofi. “Where is she?”

Kofi doesn’t take his eyes off of Sasha, but points behind him. Becky looks behind the messenger god and gasps. Her sword drops and she pushes past Kofi, skidding on her knees next to the brunette. 

“Hey, you,” Bayley slurs as she blinks up at Becky. The redhead cups her cheek and tilts her head to the side. “Pretty lady.” Becky notices little golden specks in Bayley’s eyes-which isn’t unusual- but the way they interact with the dim light, swirling around and popping like mini fireworks, reminds Becky of the last time she saw a human drugged with ambrosia.

“Sash,” Becky calls as Bayley wraps her arm around Becky and giggles. Becky notices blood on her fingernails. Sasha growls and Becky hears Charlotte gasps behind them. “She’s been drugged with ambrosia. Get her outta here.”

“I’ve got her.” Charlotte kneels down in the alley next to Becky and picks her up. “Come on, we’ve gotta get her home.”

“Charlie!” Bayley squeals. “You were… you were dancin’ w’th me and then we went outside and… and…” Her brows furrow. “What happened?”

“We’ve got you, baby girl,” Charlotte whispers as she strokes chocolate locks. “There was a nasty man, but I think Becky’s gonna take care of him.” Sasha wraps Bayley’s arms around Charlotte’s neck when she continues to flail them around.

Becky’s sword cuts through the air and he turns to Kofi. “Just point me in the direction. I’ve got an asshole to send to the deepest pits of Tartarus.” Her eyes glow red and her hair lights on fire, the tips turning from blue to white and smoke coming from her palm.

“We’ll see you at home, Hades,” Sasha calls over her shoulder. Charlotte blows her a flower-scented kiss and Becky nods her head. They disappear around the corner, Bayley waving her hand drunkenly and almost slapping Sasha in the face.

“Bye, fire princess!” Bayley’s shout echoes down the street.

Becky turns back to Kofi. “Now, you wanna help me banish a bitch?”

His smile lights up the dull alleyway.

***

Charlotte greets Becky at the door and frowns. “You better not be thinking of comin’ in the house like that,” She gestures to the fact that Becky’s dripping with a mixture of golden ichor and red blood. She sniffs and wipes her nose, smearing more blood on her face. Charlotte’s nose wrinkes, but Becky knows the blonde finds it hot when she gets all goddess on people. “Demigod?”

“Yep. They’re a bitch to kill, but it’s definitely gonna be harder for the dick to come back. Spread him farther this time.” Charlotte hands her the shittiest towel they have in the house; Becky wrinkles her nose because it’s their “Cerberus just came in from the rain” towel and smells horrible. She wipes the blood and ichor as best she can before she throws the towel in the laundry room next to the kitchen. She leans in and kisses Charlotte before she pulls away and tilts her head to the side, asking the question without words. 

“Well, we finally got Bayley settled into the guest room,” Charlotte says as she leads Becky upstairs, touching the moonflowers that grow along the wall. They bloom under her touch. “She was really out of it. I think maybe he-”

“Hercules,” Becky interrupts. “It was that dick, Hercules. I don’t know what he’s calling himself these days. Well, what he  _ was _ . He’s gone now for at least a few decades or so.”

“Didn’t you kill him for being the first cop on scene at Stonewall?” Charlotte scrunches up her nose. “Whatever, come on.” She takes Becky’s hand and kisses it before she opens the door.

Sasha’s sleeping on the windowsill bed/couch in the corner of the room, head resting against the glass, curled up under her leopard-print blanket and Charlotte goes over to fix where it’s slipping. Becky smiles at how soft her wife is with the other goddess as the blonde kisses her forehead. Bayley whines from the bed and Becky goes over to her, smooths down some of her hair. Cerberus blinks up at his master with six puppy eyes before he noses his way back under Bayley’s arm, all three competing to be the one shoved into her armpit. The other two huff; one rests his head on Bayley’s arm and the other puts a paw over his nose and whines as Becky scratches behind his ear.

“Sasha cleaned her up a little bit, but she got too squirmy when she tried to undress her to get her ripped clothes off.” Becky nods and slides off the bed when she realizes that she’s also covered in blood. “I’m worried, Becks,” Charlotte whispers as she settles against the headboard next to Bayley, stroking a finger down her cheek and over her nose, making that cute nose wrinkle. “You remember the last time a human in our care had ambrosia. They saw through the Mist that hides us. She went crazy and threw herself into a river.”

“We won’t let it happen again, Charlie,” Becky reassures as she settles against the nightstand next to Bayley’s hanging hand. She clutches it and smiles as Bayley hums and intertwines their fingers. “I promise. We’ll keep her safe.”

Charlotte nods and yawns as she slides down the bed so that she’s next to Bayley. However, she’s on top of the covers, giving Bayley her space, and Becky rests her head against the nightstand, sighing. She’s still got lava flowing through her veins, set to simmer instead of the explosion of before.

“Goodnight, Sephy.”

“Night, Hades.”

***

Bayley’s whole body feels heavy when she wakes up and her tongue tastes like sandpaper. She groans and tries to move her right arm when there’s a whine of distress. She looks down and, through a strange golden haze covering her eyes, she sees a three-headed familiar dog looking at her. One head has brown, another blue, and the third has green. All six eyes blink at her and three tongues stick out in sync.

_ This can’t be real _ , Bayley thinks as she blinks rapidly until three heads become one again. Every time she blinks, it shifts from one to three heads. Bayley groans as she moves her head again. She turns sideways and squeaks as she finds herself face to face with a sleeping Charlotte. The woman looks like a goddess, even curled up and asleep. Her flaxen hair falls perfectly in her face and, this close, Bayley can smell the scent of flowers everywhere. She’s dressed in, Bayley blushes when she notices, a flannel shirt open over a tank top that leaves little to the imagination and short shorts in a dark blue jewel tone. She looks beautiful.

Bayley looks around and finds Becky snoring against the nightstand, almost loud enough to match Cerberus… although that might be due to the three heads she imagined before. Sasha’s sleeping curled up on the windowsill, purple hair hanging in her face and moving a tiny bit with every breath.

_ How did I end up here? What happened? _

She huffs and leans down. Everything still feels heavy and hazy and her whole body hurts, but she can’t think about that now. She doesn’t want to. She wants to stay in this little bubble of calm before the storm. And the three women who, for some reason she’ll never understand, have taken a liking to her. Charlotte sighs when Bayley moves in. The brunette snuggles in against her chest, resting her head against the tall blonde’s neck, nose against her pulse point.

“You’re safe, Bayls. You’re okay,” Charlotte mumbles in her sleep and she smiles. She doesn’t know what happened, or what will happen tomorrow, but she knows that she’s safe from harm in this room. Charlotte throws an arm around her, pulls her closer.

“Thank you,” she responds and breaths in the scent of fresh flowers, of spring, as she drifts off into her golden haze of sleep.

***

A whine wakes Bayley up. There’s a fog blanketing her brain, the haze hard to crawl out of. She squints at the sunlight streaming through the curtains. Something whines and paws at her stomach, a wet nose pressing into her skin. She opens her eyes to see Becky sitting on the floor next to the bed Bayley’s woken up in, head tilted back against the nightstand. Cerberus whines again and licks her arm, his ears drooping and paws at her stomach.

“Becky?” she rasps, wiggling around until she can get one arm out of the burrito she’s wrapped in. Her whole body feels like it’s being pushed down, like gravity’s working way too well. Becky snuffles in her sleep and rubs at her nose. “Becky?” She touches the woman’s shoulder, drags the tips of her fingers across her hair. 

Becky jolts and Bayley jumps back as if burned as her red hair starts to glow, looking like lava flowing down her back. “Wha… wha time’s’it?” Her hair dims as she rubs her eyes and it feels like a trick of the light in her foggy brain, but Becky’s eyes flash from brown to coal red for a second before she blinks and the red’s gone from both her hair and her eyes. But it can’t be a coincidence, she tells herself, because Alexa’s eyes do it too at certain times. Mostly when she’s causing pandemonium or chaos.

“Uh, hi,” Bayley whispers as she scratches Cerberus’ chin. He yips and licks at her hand and she can feel two phantom tongues licking at either of her cheeks. It’s a strange sensation, probably induced by whatever’s making her feel heavy and confused.

Becky scrambles up and leans her elbows on the bed. “You’re awake!” She runs her hand over Bayley’s arm, pushing Cerberus to the side with a chuckle. Bayley smiles softly and shuffles over to make room for Becky to sit on the bed. “How’re you feelin’?”

“My head hurts. And my body feels, I don’t know, heavy.” Becky runs her hand over Bayley’s hair, soothing, and taps her other hand against Cereberus’ belly. “What happened?”

“What do you remember?”

Her nose wrinkles as she tries to think back. “I went out with my roommates. I met this… guy, I guess.” She squints. “Ruby threatened him with a pair of glowing scissors. We started dancing and then… nothing.” She shakes her head. “Everything beyond that is black.” Tears pearl at the corner of her eyes. “How did I end up here? What happened, Becky?”

The redhead sighs and crawls into the bed next to the brunette. She maneuvers Bayley until the redhead’s sits with her back against the headboard and Bayley cradled between her spread legs. “Well, uh, that guy?” She sucks air in through her teeth and shakes her head. “Not a guy, a monster. He tried to attack you.”

“Did he…” Bayley trails off and Becky shakes her head.

“No, my friend Kofi saw you and got you out of there.”

“The grad student who works the mailroom?” Bayley squints through the heavy haze. “Why don’t I remember? I only had two drinks that definitely weren’t strong enough to affect me like this.”

Becky grumbles something under her breath about dragging that man down to Tartarus before she rests her chin on Bayley’s shoulder. “He put something in your drink. It’s called ambrosia and it’s-”

“The food of the gods,” Bayley answers. “I remember from Sasha… Uh, I mean, Professor Banks’ class.” She squints. “But it can’t be real.”

“It’s, uh, it’s not.” Becky won’t look at Bayley and the brunette’s starting to get suspicious. “It’s just another strain of drugs. Nothing special.”

“But,” Bayley argues as more and more comes back to her, “my drink glowed, Bex. Like, it was the same glow as Ruby’s scissors. Becky, what's going on?”

Becky swallows nervously in response, eyes looking anywhere but at Bayley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you guys thought! Also, sorry this has taken so long. 
> 
> Hopefully, the next season won't take as long.
> 
> Yes, that's right! We're going through all the seasons. Winter's coming up next.


	2. Winter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I want a snowfall kind of love_  
>  _The kind of love that quiets the world_  
>  _I want a snowfall kind of love_  
>  _'Cause I'm a snowfall kind of girl_  
>  _I want a snowfall kind of love_  
>  \-- Snowfall Kind of Love, Ingrid Michaelson
> 
> ***
> 
> Bayley spends Christmas/Solstice with Sasha and Becky while Charlotte has to go to Demeter, per their agreement when she married Becky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After such a long time, the second chapter/season is FINALLY here.
> 
> I hope you guys are as excited to read this as I am to write this. Winter is upon us and the 4HW.
> 
> We get to see both the godly side of characters and their very human side.
> 
> New Gods:
> 
> Iris- Carmella  
> Hephaestus- Sheamus

Winter has always been Bayley’s least favorite season. She misses the flowers and the sunshine and the warmth. She misses California, but her parents were away on a trip and she was stuck at school during finals when they left for Florida. The mountain town is full of people coming to ski and snowboard and do other fun winter activities she wants no part of. She is, and always will be, a summer girl.

“You want another?” Becky asks as she sweeps by with a tray for some patrons sitting in a booth on the other end of the pub. It’s an empty slow day-- most people are on Mount Olympia doing the whole winter thing-- and Bayley nods as she hands the redhead her cup. The other woman disappears for a moment to deliver the food before sweeping back around.

She touches the brunette’s shoulder and Bayley slumps, closes her laptop and rests her forehead against it. “You okay?” The brunette lifts her head at the gentle touch.

Bayley wrinkles her nose and shakes her head, pulls at her ponytail. “I hate winter. It’s the worst.”

“I thought it was _the most wonderful time of the year_ ,” Becky sings in a horribly low voice and Bayley laughs. “Knew I could get ya ta smile. Missed seein’ it since the semester ended.”

“I thought you’d be the one sulking. Didn’t Charlotte leave to go visit her dad?”

“Headed for sunnier pastures, that one.” Becky shrugs. “I’ll get yer hot chocolate.”

“Thanks, Becky.”

“Anythin' for my favorite patron.”

Bayley hides her blush in her sweatshirt. Ever since her first night back to college, when she’d found herself snuggled against Charlotte and crying into Becky’s arms and eating McDonald’s breakfast in the parking lot of the liberal arts building with Sasha before class, the other three women haven’t been shy with their affections or their interest. They hadn’t told her exactly what happened, except that she was drugged and saved by the graduate student that runs the mailroom. She hasn’t seen the guy that harassed her since that night, thank god, but sometimes she wonders what happened to him.

It’s strange to be wanted, Bayley thinks, as Becky drops off her fourth mug of hot chocolate. The redhead leaves, pressing a warm hand to her back on her way back to the bar. She’s never really known this level of care from one person, let alone three. Sure, Lacey’s carried her to bed when she’s passed out doing homework and there was that one time Alexa grudgingly got her medicine from the local pharmacy when she was sick her sophomore year. Nothing like this.

The barstool next to her groan as someone pulls it out and sits down. She looks up from her drink to find Sasha smiling at her, think rim glasses on and a manila folder full of papers. “Mind if I join you?” she asks, even as she makes herself comfortable by pulling off her marshmallow jacket and fluffs out her now blue hair. Bayley likes it more than the purple. It suits her. 

“No. It’s a free country.”

Sasha laughs and pulls out a red pen. She dives into her work and Bayley turns back to the window. The snow falls heavily outside as Sasha hums to herself next to her, a song that sounds familiar yet not. Her eyes follow the drops against the window and sighs.

“You doing anything for the holiday? Uh, one of them.”

“I usually do Christmas with my family, but they’re out of the country.” Bayley shrugs. “So I might just go back to my dorm room and play ‘How Many Wine Bottles Can Lacey Drink Before She Gets Bored’ for the millionth time.”

“That’s a mouthful of a name.” Sasha chuckles. She swipes Bayley’s hot chocolate and takes a sip. She smacks her lips and Bayley wrinkles her nose. “Not Irish hot chocolate.”

“I’d be on the floor if it was. I’ve already had, like, three of them.”

* * *

Bayley hesitates as she hikes her bag higher on her shoulder, biting her lip. The house-- no, mansion-- looms in front of her. It’s decorated with rainbow string lights and some of those Halloween lawn ornaments. One even displays Jack Skellington with a bag of horrific toys in a sleigh pulled by skeletal reindeer and Zero. She wrinkles her nose.

The door swings open and she spins back around, a blush on her cheeks. Sasha stands on the other side, hair pulled into a bun and dressed in yoga pants and a tank top with an owl on it. She smiles and beacons Bayley in. “I see you’ve noticed the decorations,” she says as she gestures to the lawn. “Becky has an odd sense of humor and loves to mix Halloween with Christmas. The neighbors sent her a letter asking her to take down Jack last year. So, this year, she added the rest of the scene.” 

Bayley follows her inside with a chuckle, dropping her bag where Sasha indicates and the two of them move further into the house.

“Where’s Becky?” Bayley asks as she sits down at the kitchen table. She fiddles with her hands, unsure of what to do with herself. She’s only been here once and it’s just as awkward the second time. To be in your professor’s house. Especially when you might be feeling an odd attraction to all three women who live here.

“She’s talking to Charlotte, so she might be back late. There’s, uh, bad service where her dad lives.” Sasha brings her a cup of hot chocolate. “Do you want to move into the den?” She doesn’t give Bayley a chance to respond though, as she moves through the kitchen and into an open area with a roaring fireplace and a big TV bolted into the brick over it. There are three floor-to-ceiling windows across the back wall that look out across a beautiful pool covered in a tarp and weighed down by snow and even farther to a big yard with a big fenced-in area that Bayley assumes is for Cerberus. And there are flowers _everywhere_. Crawling up the walls and weaving in and out of the staircase. There’s ivy outside and a glass building on the far end of the dog run. The whole lawn is covered in snow, the crispness, broken only by pawprints.

“Your house is beautiful,” Bayley says as she sits down on the most comfortable couch she’s ever seen. “I didn’t get to see much of it before.”

“Thanks.” Sasha sits beside her and throws her arm over the back of the couch. “Hephaes--Sheamus helped with the building. Charlotte and I designed the place. Becky painted one wall, I think. Probably the one in her and Charlotte’s bedroom that’s chalkboard paint.”

Bayley snorts into her hot chocolate. There’s a chalkboard wall at the bar too, with daily specials from Mandy and messages from patrons. There’s a beautifully drawn picture of a cracked pomegranate leaking seeds, like a broken version of the bar’s logo. Sometimes Bayley wonders if Becky’s as obsessed with the story of Hades and Persephone as she is with pomegranates the story made famous.

* * *

Becky steps into the museum downtown and makes her way to the front desk. It’s a small place, full of Greco-Roman art and statues and weapons. Sitting at the information and tickets desk is a beautiful woman with long honey-brown hair, pulled into a high ponytail, and a huge smile on her face. Unlike her usual tight jeans and stretchy tank tops, she’s wearing a flowing off-the-shoulder dress with a rainbow pattern down the side. Becky smiles at the other woman, because there’s always a rainbow on her somewhere, as if she doesn’t want any of them to forget who she actually is.

“Carmella.” Becky greets her with a nod.

“You here to steal from the weapon gallery again or for something else?” she asks, crossing her arms over her chest. She’s got a smug grin on her face and Becky rolls her eyes.

“Cheeky rainbow,” Becky retorts as Carmella grabs something from the “secret” drawer and comes around to stand next to the redhead. “I hope she picks up this time. Phones don’t seem to work.”

Carmella flips her hair as she leads Becky though the Roman fresco wing. “That’s because you’re trying to use mortal technology, dumbass. Only _my_ messages can reach any godly place.” 

She unlocks a door hidden as one of the frescos and leads Becky down a thin hallway to a circular room filled with candles. There’s a fountain in the middle that burbles and a thin spray of mist cast rainbows on the walls. It’s a calming room with a single skylight, which allows for natural rainbows to appear instead of just the candle-created ones. Iris Messages always work better with natural light rather than artificial, but Becky knows the latter will do in a pinch.

“I love what you’ve done with the place,” Becky comments as she walks further into the room with her hands behind her back, walking past the candles as they strain towards her. She moves her finger and the candles flicker and the flames grow for a minute before Carmella waves her hand and Becky yelps as water hits her face. She hates water, like a cat, and she hisses at the other goddess.

“If you mess with my rainbows any more than that, you’ll get worse.” Carmella beckons the redhead her over to her fountain. “Now, just throw a drachma into the the--”

“I know how it goes, Iris.” Becky waves her off and flips a golden coin into the fountain before she calls Charlotte’s name. Carmella’s eyes glow white as she reacts to the call, holds out her hands. Between them, a rainbow forms and Becky can see Charlotte through the colors.

Charlotte and her scowling father.

* * *

“Persephone,” Demeter’s rough voice calls from the other side of the field. She pulls on the bridle of Second Nature, the workhorse Poseidon gave him before their great feud, around so that they’re facing her father. Charlotte loves the horse, which can run swifter than Aeolus and has more endurance than Atlas, and is more of a thief when it comes to sugar and apples than Dolus the Deceitful.

It’s been two hours since Becky called through the Iris Message. Demeter had stormed off as soon as the rainbow disappeared and now Charlotte watches him. He doesn’t step closer, an angry scowl on his face. Even after their Zeus-ordained marriage, which her father only attended out of fear of the God-King, he still didn’t accept Hades. And he probably never would. He despised the fact that Charlotte, Persephone, chose her lover over her father.

“Father.” She acknowledges him with a nod, which she doesn’t know if he can see or not. Nor does she care. The field of wheat stretches between them, like a metaphor of the space between them. The wind whispers through the golden grains she used to love running through in the winter while the rest of the world was dead, that she could help make flowers bloom from nothing while the rest of the world lost its beauty. 

Now everything here feels too harsh and too beautiful. She clicks her tongue and allows Second Nature to wander over to Demeter. He lips at Demer’s outstretched hand, searching for an apple or a sugar cube. The god won’t look at Charlotte as she sits there, instead stroking his hand down the horse’s withers.

Charlotte swings her leg over and dismounts. She hands the bridle to her dad and gives him a small smile. “I know I’m supposed to stay here, per our agreement, but I can’t.” She fluffs out her hair and presses a kiss to Second Nature’s nose. “My life isn’t here anymore. It’s with Becky. Becky and Sasha and Cerberus and…” She trails off before she can mention Bayley. She knows her dad loves mortals, but loves them from a distance. He might loathe Becky, Sasha a little less because she’s “intelligent,” but consorting with a mortal would tip him way over the edge. “My life is back in the mortal realm.”

Demeter scowls. “I never trusted Hades, but she’s taken you away from me.” He shakes his head as he begins to walk away, leading Second Nature behind him. “You promised to come back in the winter, Persephone. We have to do so much before the spring. And you want to leave now?”

Charlotte huffs. “We have this argument every year. You never listen to me. You have Chloris and the nymphs to help you.” She walks backwards into the wheat. “I just need a little time by myself.” She allows the wheat to swallow her as she walks away from her father until she can’t see him anymore.

* * *

“Good morning!” Bayley calls as she bounces down the stairs. She learned that Becky and Sasha celebrate the solstice more than they celebrate Christmas. There’s a tree covered in cheap Walmart Christmas lights that Becky brought in from the woods behind their property when Bayley asked about it. It’s not perfect, a little lopsided and Cerberus has already peed on it once-- good thing Sasha put a pee-pad under it-- but it’s perfect for them. A little lopsided, just like them.

“Happy Solstice,” Becky says as she lifts her cup. She’s laying on the couch in front of the window, the bright sunlight glinting off the snow and hitting her soft creamy skin. Cerberus yips and scrambles over the floor and into Bayley’s leg. She chuckles and kneels down to scratch behind his ears. Ny hoots from her corner, bobbing her head before she turns her head 180 degrees so that she can go back to sleep. “Sasha’s still sleepin’ but I wanna give you a little somethin’.”

Bayley stands up and goes over to sit next to Becky. There are a few petals scattered on the ground, obviously from the flowers hanging from the ceiling. “I…” Bayley stammers, can’t find anything to say. “Just having me here is enough.” Tears bead at the corner of her eyes. “Everything you three have done is enough.”

The redhead smiles and wipes at the few tears that have managed to escape. “Get yer coat on… an’ boots. We’re goin’ outside.”

Bayley shoves her feet into her Uggs and her fluffy jacket and follows Becky outside. She shakes her head at Becky’s own attire. A thin sleepshirt that makes Bayley blush when she realizes she can see Becky’s nipples because of the cold air; a pair of pants with “Badass” on one of the legs, “Dumbass” on the other, and “Great Ass” on the back.

Snow falls and she watches as it hits Becky’s hair or skin and a little puff of steam emits. It’s a strange thing to notice, but she brushes it off when Becky sticks on her tongue to catch a snowflake. She looks beautiful against the backdrop of the snow-covered Mount Olympia and the evergreen trees dotting the landscape. Becky throws a snowball at Cerberus and he jumps up to catch it in his mouth, snow splattering his coat.

“How are you not freezing?” she asks as her eyes flick between Becky and Cerberus, who’s playing in the snow. He runs and jumps into it before rolling over and wiggling until Becky and Bayley pass him, then he does the whole process again. They pass the pool and the dog run, which Becky puts Cerberus in because apparently he’s not allowed inside her present without Charlotte. Bayley wrinkles her nose.

“Okay,” Becky stops her before they can continue on, “close your eyes.”

“But I’ll slip.”

“I won’t let you fall,” Becky says, her voice husky over the whisper of the wind. “I promise.

Bayley takes a shaky breath and nods. She closes her eyes and Becky grabs her hands. They walk forward slowly, the redhead correcting Bayley when she starts to slip. After about five minutes of walking, they stop.

“Can I open them?”

“No. No. Not yet.”

There’s a blast of warm air and Bayley gasps, but doesn’t open her eyes. Becky leaves her side for a moment and she can hear the woman whispering for something to behave themselves. The warm air feels like home, like being back in sunny California, but it’s the middle of winter.

“Becky?” she calls out, moving her hands around as she takes another step forward. Suddenly, the redhead’s right there, hands warm in her own. Bayley’s always thought Becky’s skin runs hot-- much hotter than a human’s should be-- but it’s a sticky kind of heat that isn’t helped by being in her winter gear in the middle of what feels like California. As if they’ve stepped into a door and exited right on the beach.

“Before you open your eyes, Charlie wanted to share this place with you. But, as you know, she had to go to her da’s.” Becky lets go of one hand. “Open your eyes, Bay.”

She allows her eyes to flutter open. They squint for a moment before she gets used to the brightness. Bayley gasps and covers her mouth as she gasps, tears gathering at the corner of her eyes.

“Wow,” she breathes.

They’re standing in a greenhouse, but it’s unlike any Bayley’s ever seen. She’s been to the one in San Francisco, but this one trumps even that one. While she could only see a tiny bit of the building from the den, inside, it' like a tropical wonderland. She's pretty sure it's bigger on the inside. It looks as if it’s modeled after the one in San Francisco or vise versa. Lily pads float across a pond and trees climb to the top. Butterflies, of all different colors and species, fly across her field of vision and she gasps as a few exotic birds call out and fly across the pond.

“It’s beautiful,” she says as she turns back to Becky. The redhead’s watching her, eyes sparkling. Even though the sun outside is weak, it’s like they’ve been transported to summertime. “How…?”

“Charlie’s got a special touch with plants.” Becky shrugs and wanders over to one of the benches at the edge of the pond. Bayley joins her and she sighs as she leans back, Becky’s hand against her shoulder. She can see through the foliage that there’s a spot that looks new. It’s a little corner with a work desk and a stand for a bird to land on and space for books and other things. Becky points to it and says, “that’s for you. You can add and change it as you like. Just let her know.”

“What?” Bayley’s eyes go wide.

“We each have a space within her greenhouse. Mine’s over there.” She points to a space in the farthest that’s darker than the rest, with a few bioluminescent plants and a little fireplace with a few books on the mantle. There’s a spot closer to them where all of the birds seem to flock to and from, with maps decorating the walls, which Bayley guesses is for Sasha. “She wanted you to have a place here too.” She smirks. “And not just so you can get out of the cold.”

Bayleys shoots up. “I can’t… I can’t accept this,” she stammers. “It’s too much.” She wipes at her cheek and chuckles. “God, I…”

Becky wraps her arms around Bayley and pulls her up. “Come on. Sasha’s probably up and making breakfast.” The redhead slips something into Bayley’s jacket pocket and leads her back to the house, picking up Cerberus on their way. “Hopefully it’s not pancakes. She burns those.”

* * *

Charlotte pats Iphigenia’s withers as the horse snorts. She slides from the mare’s back and watches her trot off into the crack leading to the Underworld. She’ll have to give the girl extra carrion when they go to Hades next weekend for the yearly Census, or Dead Count as Becky likes to call it.

It’s midnight and Charlotte makes sure to skip that one creaky floorboard so she won’t wake anyone up. She sets her bag down on one of the chairs and makes her way to the den. She covers her mouth to stop her giggle from escaping at what she sees. All the blankets she meticulously washed and put on Bayley’s bed in the guest room are strung up and the furniture pushed together so that they can make a fort. The Christmas tree shines with tiny fairy lights and little candles Becky must have enchanted to flicker without burning. One of Sasha’s throwing stars sits at the top, glinting in the light.

A snore echoes through the room, followed by a mumble, and then a huff. The blonde kneels down and peaks under the top sheet. She finds herself staring at all three of Cerberus’ heads. He snuffles a little, his front paw kicking but she scratches behind the middle head’s ear and the pup settles. Sasha and Bayley are curled around each other, the shorter woman’s head on Bayley’s shoulder, arm around her waist. Becky has pressed herself against one of the couches, as she likes to do. Press herself up against the wall and curl up. Charlotte remembers that Becky’s told her that she likes the weight of the blonde against her back.

She’s so glad she changed into comfortable clothes between Demeter’s realm and home, because she kneels down and crawls over to Becky. The redhead turns her head and Charlotte plants a soft kiss on her lips.

“Sephy?” she mumbles. “Why’re ya back? Ain’t yer da--?”

Charlotte kisses her until she quiets, nibbling at her lower lip until she hums. She can hear the whisper of snowfall outside, Bayley and Sasha breathing, and Becky mumbling against her. She wraps her arm around Becky and she smiles as she feels someone roll into her back. She looks over her shoulder, allowing Becky to snuggle under her neck, and finds Bayley nuzzling into her. She smiles and uses her other hand to search for a hand and finds Sasha’s. Even Cerberus, following the heat, whines and comes over, crawls into a little nook between Becky’s knees, still pressed to the couch, and Charlotte’s long stretched out legs.

She’s worried about what Demeter’s going to do when he finds out she left, but there’s nothing he can do to her until spring arrives. But now she has her family, her people, with her on this beautiful Solstice night and she sighs as she snuggles further into Becky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you thought. It's great to hear your favorite parts, what surprised you, what you want to see next.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and being patient with me. I've been doing Inktober and NaNoWriMo. Hopefully, the Spring chapter will be out by Spring 2020.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you guys thought! Also, sorry this has taken so long. 
> 
> Hopefully, the next season won't take as long.
> 
> Yes, that's right! We're going through all the seasons. Winter's coming up next.


End file.
